Jewellery cleaning wipe

Abstract

It is surprisingly found that when diamond particles are embedded into an alcohol wipe, the cleansing wipe that is formed is extremely useful at cleaning diamond jewellery in the home. It is also surprising that, given the abrasive nature of diamond, the diamond particles result in a satisfactory clean without causing any damage to the surface of the diamond being cleaned. The final result is that the cleaned diamond has recovered most of its original fire, life and brilliance.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of cleaning a diamond item comprising rubbing or wiping the item with a cleansing wipe consisting of an absorbent foldable cloth substrate that is soaked with an aqueous suspension consisting of water, an alcohol solution, and diamond particles, wherein the diamond particles have a median equivalent volumetric diameter (Dv50) of less than 40 μm, wherein at least 80% of the diamond particles have an equivalent volumetric diameter of less than 40 μm, and wherein the aqueous suspension consists of water, 0.0001 wt. % to 0.1 wt. % diamond particles, and wherein the concentration of alcohol in the alcohol solution is 40-90 wt. %, such that the diamond particles are suspended in a matrix of the substrate and do not scratch the gem during cleaning. 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1  wherein the diamond particles have a Dv50 of between 1 nm and 20 μm. 
     
     
       3. The method, according to  claim 1 , wherein the alcohol is isopropyl alcohol. 
     
     
       4. The method, according to  claim 1 , wherein the matrix of the substrate is a non-woven fabric. 
     
     
       5. The method, according to  claim 1 , wherein said wipe has dimensions of approximately 6 cm by 3 cm. 
     
     
       6. The method, according to  claim 5 , wherein the wipe is contained in a package. 
     
     
       7. The method, according to  claim 6 , wherein the package is a plastic packet of less than 5 mm thickness. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the wipe is folded in the plastic packet to dimensions of 3 cm×3 cm, and wherein the package fits snugly around the wipe.